After New Findings, Juicero Will Refund Customers Who Send Back Their Machines

This $400 juicer was supposed to be a technological innovation: It only worked with its custom made produce packs, and it creates four tons of pressure to get every last drop of juice out of those fruits and vegetables. Then, an investigation from Bloomberg turned up the fact that the packs can be squeezed by hand, making the Juicero useless. Those revelations didn’t seem to deter the company—they’ve since expanded their operations to seventeen states.

Juicero

"And we confidently stand behind our promise to help people on their journey to health."

If you didn't know already, the "Keurig for Juice" was busted last week. Reports showed that you could simply hand-squeeze the individual packets that the high-powered(and high-priced) machine claimed to turn into juice.

Now, Juicero Inc. is offering a full refund for the next 30 days to anyone who sends back their machine to the company.

The idea behind the whole thing did seem promising—at least before the whole hand-squeezing thing came to light. Jeff Dunn, the company's CEO, worked with his colleagues to raise about $120 million from several backers who were excited about the prospect of a machine that could turn the Keurig-like individual servings of sliced fruits and veggies into juice. In fact, on the company's website, the Juicero team claims that their machine applies “8,000 pounds of pressure … to the fruits and veggies living inside the breathable Pack.” There's also a blog post that says the machine "creates three to four tons of pressure—enough to lift two Teslas—and enough to squeeze out every drop of organic fresh kale, spinach, apples, and other fruits and vegetables into your glass.”

But after an explosive investigation by Bloomberg last week, one investor expressed concern: “There is no doubt the packs can be squeezed without the machine." And a subsequent video by the site showed that you can, in fact, use your hands to get a glass of juice.

Juicero is at least a little protected financially because only those who own a machine are able to purchase the packs. That means you can't reap the benefits of squeezing a pack with your hand unless you first purchase a $400 juice press.

Dunn wrote a defensive blog post last Thursday, explaining that while, yes, you can use your hands to extract the juice, you'll lack the quality and consistency provided by the machine.

"While it is never easy to face some of this week’s headlines and critiques, we’re still learning, listening, and improving," he wrote. "And we confidently stand behind our promise to help people on their journey to health."